Kyle Lowry Still Part Of Miami Heat's Offensive Game Plan

The Heat hope Lowry can have more `vintage' performances after Sunday's 17-point effort against Pelicans

At times, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry has struggled this season. 

His numbers have declined, calling fans to request his trade. On Sunday, Lowry provided a reminder he is still valuable as a scorer. He had 17 points, including a stretch of nine straight in the fourth quarter, in the victory against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

"Kyle can do that any time he really wants," Heat guard Tyler Herro said. "He's a seasoned vet. He's closed many games, a lot of big games ... Right now, he's just choosing to defer to me, Bam (Adebayo) and Jimmy (Butler) but there's plenty opportunities in front of us where he'll be able to be aggressive. He know, we all know, he can do that."

Lowry said he took advice Butler's about taking over in the fourth quarter. 

"Honestly, Jimmy was the reason," Lowry said. "He said go get the ball and go make plays."

Lowry was provided the opportunity because the Pelicans decided to double-team Butler on most possessions. 

"Kyle was a major part of that," Spoelstra said. "They were bottling up some other stuff and he just kind of went vintage there and made a lot of plays down the stretch."

The Heat were just excited to see the Lowry of old return. It was his best scoring game since he had 18 against the Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 26.

"You could just see his life grow," Adebayo said. "I know that sounds crazy but as a basketball player and you get nine straight, it's one of those things where we call it a `heat check.' It's just one of those things where the basket just looks like an ocean. Those nine straight helped us down the stretch."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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